Directions

Make the loaf.

In the bowl of the mixer, add the AP flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, fennel seeds, grated orange rind and dried cranberries. Use the paddle attachment and mix at low speed to just combine and evenly disperse the ingredients. Add the chilled, diced cold butter cubes and mix on low speed until butter is broken into smaller pieces, about 10-15 seconds only. (It will not be fully incorporated.)

Add the buttermilk. Slowly drizzle in 1 cup and paddle at a low speed for 8-10 seconds, or just until the dough barely comes together. If the dough is very shaggy and too dry looking, slowly drizzle in more buttermilk as needed but JUST UNTIL the dough comes together. Don’t over hydrate and don’t over mix. ( There will probably be loose flour/butter bits in the bottom of the bowl. This is fine.)

Lightly flour your work surface. Turn out the dough from the bowl. Use a bench scraper and turn the dough over a few times to gather up any loose flour and stray ingredients and to shape and form the loaf into a circle. Handle sparingly and gently, just enough to gather up loose bits of dough.

Transfer the loaf to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Lightly dust the top of the bread with flour. Use a large, serrated knife and cut an “X”, about 3-inches long and ½-inch deep, into the center of the loaf.

Bake the loaf in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until completely golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. ( To check for doneness, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it rest on the stove top. Use a kitchen towel to protect your hands and turn the baked loaf over into the towel to tap the bottom.)

Make the glaze while the bread is baking.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove pan from the heat and add the orange juice and whisk to combine. Add a pinch of salt. Add 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar and whisk until smooth. Add more confectioner’s sugar as necessary to make a smooth thick glaze. And, if necessary, move the pan back onto the burner over very low heat if the butter hardens before the glaze is completely smooth and homogeneous. Let cool a bit while the loaf bakes. (Leave out to cool, do not refrigerate.)

Allow the finished loaf to cool for about 5 minutes after coming out of the oven and then brush/spoon the glaze over the top. Let the glaze harden on the loaf and allow the loaf to completely cool before slicing. ( And use a serrated knife to slice your finished loaf, please.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (This higher temperature will yield a ‘crunchier’ crust.) Line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper